Although methadone maintenance has proven to be a useful treatment for heroin addiction, withdrawal from it remains a difficult task with a high failure rate. In our pilot studies, clonidine, an alpha-adrenergic agonist, appeared to block acute methadone withdrawal symptoms. The purpose of this study are: 1) to compare clonidine aided withdrawal of methadone maintained patients with gradual methadone reduction method on the ability of the patients to complete withdrawal and remain abstinent; and 2) to determine the effect of clonidine on the acute and protracted narcotic withdrawal syndrome. Fifty methadone maintained patients over an 18 month period will be randomly assigned on a double blind basis to the two groups and admitted for a two week in-patient study followed by 2 1/2 month out-patient status. The clinidine group will be off medication at the end of the two weeks and be on placebo the whole out-patient time. The methadone reduction group will gradually come down over the whole 3 months. The two groups will be followed up at 6 and 12 month intervals and compared on a variety of outcome criteria which will also include mood variations and the physiologic symptoms of the protracted abstinence syndrome.